February 19, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



175 



through the tips of the glumes, which open just a 

 little to let the thread-like filament hang out, and 

 then close up tightly. One should then remove 

 the ovary, with stamens and pistil, of a plant just 

 about to flower, and, by breathing on them gently, 

 the anthers will be seen to burst with a spasmodic 

 motion, scattering the pollen in part upon the 

 pistil. Immediately after the bursting of the 

 anthers, the filament becomes restless, and begins 

 to move. Contrary to the usual nature of this 

 organ in plants, it is elastic ; and one may watch 

 it increasing to the length of half an inch, carry- 

 ing with it, as it creeps along, the now empty and 

 useless anthers. These observations will prove 

 that the filament does not expand till after the 

 discharge of the pollen, and consequently that the 

 ovaries have been already fructified when the 

 wheat is in flower. 



This exceptional elasticity of the filament is a 

 wonderful fact. Its purpose is to make room 

 within the narrow seed-case for the enlarged grain 

 by ejecting the used-up organs of the inflorescence. 

 Occasionally, in a ripe wheat-ear, it will be found 

 that they have not been got rid of, but lie shriv- 

 elled and crushed up within the glumes. 



In social plants, which, like wheat, naturally 

 grow best when they grow by themselves to the 

 exclusion of others, the great law of ' the survival 

 of the fittest ' will ever be in active operation. 

 Many feeble plants will die out, or dwindle to a 

 stage only short of extinction, thrust out of exist- 

 ence by more vigorous neighbors. 



The foregoing observations seem to prove that 

 much yet remains to be studied in the habits of 

 the wheat-plant before we shall arrive at a scien- 

 tific knowledge of wheat-raising. To prepare the 

 right soil (for too rich soil produces stalk to the loss 

 of seed), to sow most judiciously, to withstand 

 the injuries of mildew, insects, birds, etc., to pre- 

 vent loss in harvesting or threshing, — all are prob- 

 lems that deserve more attention than they have 

 received, in order that the usual yield of fifteen 

 bushels may be increased toward the possible one 

 hundred and fifty. 



POISONOUS MUSSELS FROM IMPURE 

 WATERS. 



The not infrequent occurrence of poisoning 

 from eating mussels makes the discovery of any 

 facts concerning the causation of such poisonous 

 qualities a subject of special interest. In the fol- 

 lowing, gathered from several recent German 

 publications, it appears that impure waters will 

 produce such effects, and hence it impresses the 

 necessity of careful sewerage regulations upon 

 such seaport cities where food-supplies are de- 



rived more or less from the immediately ad- 

 jacent waters. 



In Wilhelmshaven, a city of north Germany, a 

 few months ago, a large number of people were 

 suddenly taken sick after having eaten of the 

 common edible mussel of Europe and North 

 America (Mytilus edulis). obtained from the har- 

 bor. Several thus poisoned died from the effects, 

 in one case within a few hours. 



The subject has attracted much attention 

 throughout Germany, both from the public and 

 a number of scientific men. It was ascertained 

 later that the mussels of this harbor, when trans- 

 ferred to other waters, lost their poisonous nature : 

 and, vice versa, harmless mussels, placed in the 

 harbor, in a week or two acquired poisonous 

 qualities. From the report by Professor Mobius, 

 of his researches upon the subject, it appears that 

 the basin or harbor of Wilhelmshaven is closed 

 in by a breakwater, so that the water becomes 

 stagnant and unfreshened by the tides, the break- 

 water only being opened at high tides to allow 

 the entrance of ships. The sewerage of the city is 

 not discharged into the harbor, but into the open 

 sea, and all ships are prohibited from throwing 

 matter into the water that could cause pollution ; 

 nevertheless the stagnating water, as will be seen, 

 is impure, and highly dangerous in its effects upon 

 animal life. The only fishes that live in the har- 

 bor are eels and whiting. Others that find en- 

 trance at the opening of the sluice-gates soon lose 

 their activity, and can be easily caught in the 

 hand ; even the eels in summer are observed in 

 a weakened condition swimming sluggishly near 

 the surface. 



Numerous and repeated experiments showed 

 that the mussels, when freshly taken from the 

 water and cooked, possessed a most virulent 

 poison, killing rabbits in from two to ten min- 

 utes. It was also shown that these mussels, 

 taken from situations where the currents of 

 outside water entered, were not at all poisonous. 

 Hence it is evident that the water of the harbor 

 contains qualities that render the mussels poison- 

 ous without appearing to injure them. 



The researches of Professor Virchow and Dr. 

 Wolff have shown that the poisonous nature was 

 not due to decomposition. The mussels, when 

 freshly taken from the water, gave no external 

 signs of disease. From the extended studies of 

 the latter author, however, as given in the last 

 number of Virchow's Archiv, it appears that all 

 portions of the body were inert except the liver, 

 and that in every case rabbits and guinea-pigs 

 inoculated with a portion of this organ died in 

 from two to twenty minutes. The liver is a 

 large, yellowish brown, soft body, enclosing the 



